Bringing climate and gender justice together where it makes a difference!

Description of the project: Until now, gender issues have rarely been addressed in urban climate policy. In order to close this gap, this project explores options for integrating gender & social aspects into climate policies in several pilot cities. It seeks to build capacity at the local level and develop gender-responsive policy recommendations with the aim of strengthening citizens’ capacity to become involved in local government planning processes and implementation, and to enhance the effectiveness, inclusiveness and acceptance of mitigation & adaptation policies. It is a collaboration between GenderCC, All India Women’s Conference, Aksi! for gender, social & ecological justice (Indonesia), & GenderCC Southern Africa.

Climate Impact: Urban action on climate change is receiving growing attention, with cities increasingly considered to be key actors for the implementation of climate policy. As urban settlements expand rapidly in many parts of the world, many cities face the challenge of becoming more resilient to climate impacts and tackling rising emissions. Many cities are therefore currently developing and implementing strategies and policies to address climate change and its impacts. This project recognises that local governments therefore have a crucial opportunity to enhance their climate responses by integrating social issues such as poverty alleviation and gender equality, in order to make them more effective and viable, and to create social & environmental co-benefits. For each pilot city, key issues and priorities will be identified & local strategies developed.

Gender Impact: While progress has been made in addressing the nexus of climate change and gender, a lack of experience still exists when it comes to the specific challenges faced in urban contexts. To address this, the project partners are working together to develop a methodology to assess local policies on their ability to integrate gender aspects into adaptation and mitigation policies, seeking to identify areas that have to potential to bring together climate action and gender equality, such as providing access to clean and affordable energy and transport services. Activities conducted in the various pilot cities, including capacity building programmes and gender training for climate policy makers, will serve as a model for ongoing efforts to develop effective gender-responsive climate policies at local level.